JustHost vs. GoDaddy (2017)

JustHost and GoDaddy are two go-to, shall we say, starter hosts. They both emphasize customer support, but GoDaddy certainly upped their ante on service and reliability when they acquired Media Temple, a well-known ringleader when it comes to hosting customer service. They each have their specialty: For domains or email hosting, GoDaddy is a natural fit; meanwhile, JustHost plans include a free website builder that’s geared toward beginners. You can evaluate their services side by side below.

Overall Hosting Comparison

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★4.7/5.0

GoDaddy is exceptionally well-known in the hosting space — deemed the World's #1 Domain Name Registrar. They make it incredibly easy and affordable for folks to choose a domain name, sign up for hosting,... read more +

GoDaddy is exceptionally well-known in the hosting space — deemed the World's #1 Domain Name Registrar. They make it incredibly easy and affordable for folks to choose a domain name, sign up for hosting, and start building their online business or personal web property. While known for their domain, email, and shared hosting services, GoDaddy offers options for virtual and dedicated servers as well. They make the upgrade process as seamless as possible, so you shouldn't shy away from scaling your site as your business needs grow.

The user control options are pretty popular in the hosting space: your choice between the easy-to-use cPanel or Plesk control panels, plus Root (administrative) access for more tech-savvy customers. If you're particularly interested in webmail, GoDaddy offers their GoDaddy Workspace feature, an intuitive interface for keeping up with the unlimited email accounts you have available to you as a customer. All of this can be easily accessed and secured with your GoDaddy login info that you receive upon sign-up.

Customer support has been a focus of the GoDaddy team as they constantly work to improve. Today, they have an award-winning team of experts on staff, readily available to handle customer support tickets and emails 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While they're on hand to talk you through any issues, they're also keeping an eye on your server (as well as other clients sharing your server). Their security monitoring is round-the-clock and they guarantee uptime rates of 99.9% or better. This uptime rate is by no means outstanding in the industry, but for most end-users, it's all that's required. Their page load speeds (the time it takes for your webpages to load) are industry-leading, however.

The bottom line is this: GoDaddy is a go-to domain web host for millions of users world-wide for a reason. They maintain their ever-expanding network of users by offering blazing-fast load times, award-winning security and support, and a free domain name when you sign up for a year-long plan. It's a great hosting deal, particularly for first-timers and SMB owners, at a really great (low!) price point.

JustHost has a lot of free extras that come with their services, making them a good, moderately-priced shared host. Their website is easy to use and clean. Their web administration panel is designed in the... read more +

JustHost has a lot of free extras that come with their services, making them a good, moderately-priced shared host. Their website is easy to use and clean. Their web administration panel is designed in the same vein and it makes using JustHost a pleasure when compared to some of the other hosts that have more complicated administration panels.

Beginners and experienced users alike will appreciate ample storage space and unlimited bandwidth, transfers, and email accounts. The included domain name is also a perk everyone needs and can enjoy.

If you sign up for a plan of 2-3 years' commitment JustHost becomes one of the most affordable shared hosts that exists. For folks that are new to the hosting space, this term length can be daunting and hard to justify. They do offer an "anytime" money-back guarantee, which promises to refund a pro-rated portion of your money if you are not satisfied.

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Cheap Rating

★★★★★4.8/5.0

A main pull factor for GoDaddy's hosting services is certainly the cost. It's hard to beat web hosting for a dollar per month, especially when they include a free domain name (with annual plan sign-up),... read more +

A main pull factor for GoDaddy's hosting services is certainly the cost. It's hard to beat web hosting for a dollar per month, especially when they include a free domain name (with annual plan sign-up), cPanel control panel, and some of the industry's fastest webpage load times. They make it not only affordable but super easy to get started — for first-timers, bloggers, business owners, and others.

You can choose a GoDaddy hosting plan based on your needs, with a range of options for storage, email, processing power, et cetera. If your site grows to need scalable and/or dedicated resources, their team makes that transition easy as well. VPSs and dedicated servers can be provisioned in minutes, with Root and cPanel access, and no re-provisioning is required for upgrades. All GoDaddy plans are equipped with the user control of cPanel (or Plesk, if you prefer). From cPanel, you can easily install and set up popular web applications for blogging and/or eCommerce (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, or Magento).

A big name in the budget web hosting space, GoDaddy is consistently improving the performance of their servers, their site, and their services in order to offer a great customer experience. With cPanel control and 1-click installations for standard web apps, you can get your website up and running quickly. Their 24/7 security monitoring and DDoS protection allow you the comfort in knowing that the professionals are making sure your site is online, loading quickly, and hacker-free. That power and peace of mind — at such a low price point — is quite a value deal.

A lot of freebies come along with JustHost, making it a great value. The starter plan is very affordable; however the best deals are saved for those that sign up for multiple years.
... read more +

A lot of freebies come along with JustHost, making it a great value. The starter plan is very affordable; however the best deals are saved for those that sign up for multiple years.

Some of the nice features included on the base account are unlimited bandwidth, 100 email accounts, free domain name registration, and a simple site builder. The more expensive plans get unlimited email addresses and storage.

JustHost also has a simple-to-use website builder. It’s not as robust as some of the other offerings, but it has a lot of templates (400+) and support for eCommerce carts.

Finally, JustHost offers an anytime money-back guarantee with all of their hosting plans, which should put some minds at ease about selecting a long-term contract and getting the best deal.

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★4.1/5.0

GoDaddy dedicated server hosting plans feature managed support options, on-demand resources that are all yours, and the intuitive user control of cPanel. They offer plans for Linux and Windows users, with... read more +

GoDaddy dedicated server hosting plans feature managed support options, on-demand resources that are all yours, and the intuitive user control of cPanel. They offer plans for Linux and Windows users, with a variety of options for operating systems, RAM, processing power, disk space, and hardware choices.

With award-winning security monitoring, GoDaddy support is not only available around the clock to help you troubleshoot issues with your server but they're keeping an eye on your server status. They offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which isn't significant in the hosting industry, but their team is committed to keeping your site online and running speedily. They offer premier DDoS protection, anti-hacking services, and other SiteLock security add-ons. GoDaddy managed hosting customers benefit from the assurance that the experts will facilitate security patches, bug fixes, and site backups. In general, customer support is an element of the hosting experience that GoDaddy is consistently striving to improve in their offerings.

With resource configurations customized to meet your needs, GoDaddy offers dedicated server hosting that you can grow your business with — starting with a free domain name if you start with a 12-month plan. The GoDaddy tech support team is available 24/7, guarding your site against malware, hackers, unexpected downtime, and DDoS threats; meanwhile, their support agents are handling any support ticket requests that come through their chat portal or email system. With on-demand resources and industry-leading page load speeds, GoDaddy is a dedicated host that's worthy of your consideration.

JustHost's modern hardware and a lot of dedicated IP addresses are the centerpieces of its dedicated offerings. Each server is fully-managed with enhanced cPanel, making JustHost a good choice for a... read more +

JustHost's modern hardware and a lot of dedicated IP addresses are the centerpieces of its dedicated offerings. Each server is fully-managed with enhanced cPanel, making JustHost a good choice for a first-time user's dedicated server. Experienced users who want to manage or configure all aspects of their servers may look to another host.

Instant provisioning is a greatly-appreciated and rare feature for dedicated servers, which can often take hours to be configured. Other features of note are RAID 1 data protection and root access.

JustHost’s site is also very well designed and their live chat and phone support is responsive and excellent; however, the lack of redundancy and 99.9% uptime brings their rating down a bit.

VPS Hosting Comparison

VPS Rating

★★★★★3.8/5.0

If you're looking to grow and scale your website — you currently need, expect to need, or want the option to require scalable resources on-demand, GoDaddy has you covered. They have options for... read more +

If you're looking to grow and scale your website — you currently need, expect to need, or want the option to require scalable resources on-demand, GoDaddy has you covered. They have options for cloud-based, virtual, and dedicated servers along side their shared server offerings. Upgrading to any of these options is a relatively-seamless process. For example, after provisioning your server (in mere minutes) before initial deployment, you won't have to re-provision should you choose to upgrade later.

Dev folks will be pleased to hear that GoDaddy offers Root access, so you can install PHP, modules, and proxy servers via the command line with ease. Plans also include cPanel, so you can easily manage your hosting service. Meanwhile, the GoDaddy team will monitor your server 24/7, including handling patches and backups should you select one of their managed plan options.

The GoDaddy name may not immediately bring VPS hosting to mind. Nonetheless, GoDaddy's cloud server offerings include the security, support, and value deal that together embody the GoDaddy reputation in the hosting space. They give you everything you need to scale your web presence in the Cloud.

JustHost is a mid-tier web host that has somewhat pricey VPS options given the amount of processing power that you get. With that said, their interface is extremely simple to navigate and their live chat... read more +

JustHost is a mid-tier web host that has somewhat pricey VPS options given the amount of processing power that you get. With that said, their interface is extremely simple to navigate and their live chat and phone support team is very quick to respond.

First-time users who know they’ll need a VPS will be happy to have a cPanel control panel as well as a free domain. Migrating to a larger server, should you need one, is also painless. Though not huge CPU and RAM numbers, you are given decent amounts of storage and bandwidth. Multiple included IPs is also a nice touch on their larger plans.

JustHost offers great support and a very nice "anytime" money-back guarantee, so there is little risk in checking out their VPS solutions.

WordPress Hosting Comparison

WordPress Rating

★★★★★4.7/5.0

Upon first getting started with GoDaddy, customers who sign up for an annual plan receive a free domain name and the power to control their hosting via cPanel or Plesk control panels. From either of these... read more +

Upon first getting started with GoDaddy, customers who sign up for an annual plan receive a free domain name and the power to control their hosting via cPanel or Plesk control panels. From either of these interfaces, you can quickly install and set up the WordPress environment at no additional cost. Even if you don't sign up for a 12-month GoDaddy plan, they're still known as the World's #1 Domain Name Registrar, so they're a reputable choice for hosting your domain.

GoDaddy WordPress plans feature managed services, which means you don't have to worry about tedious details of maintaining the server on which your site is hosted (e.g., security patches and bug fixes). While you're busy adding content, photos, or products to your WordPress site, GoDaddy ensures that your web pages are loading quickly and hackers are staying away. GoDaddy offers award-winning security practices, including DDoS protection, 24/7 server monitoring, and the peace of mind in knowing that experts are not only watching your server but they're keeping an eye on the activity of other users sharing your server.

Folks seeking a WordPress website are in need of the WordPress install itself, the domain at which to host the site, and as many easy-to-use features for managing the WordPress site as possible. GoDaddy offers all of the above: the 1-click install, domain, email, security monitoring, and hosting management power via cPanel. Especially for the low, low cost, they're a fine choice for WordPress hosting.

JustHost does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★4.5/5.0

GoDaddy uses a version of the InstantPage website builder to offer a user-friendly site-building solution to their customers. Most of GoDaddy's hosting plans include this website builder as an option at no... read more +

GoDaddy uses a version of the InstantPage website builder to offer a user-friendly site-building solution to their customers. Most of GoDaddy's hosting plans include this website builder as an option at no additional cost. Plus, if you sign up for an annual hosting plan, this world-leading domain name registrar will include your website's new domain for free.

The InstantPage site builder interface is incredibly easy to use and includes a lot of options for customization. While you worry about making your website beautiful and professional-looking, the GoDaddy team is working around the clock to ensure that your site will remain online and performing speedily. Their award-winning security team monitors the server that's supporting your website — keeping an eye out for downtime, hackers, and other security threats. They also keep an eye on the usage of other customers sharing your server. The end result is their uptime guarantee of 99.9%, which isn't much in the hosting world, but it does the job for most users.

The bottom line is that for a mere dollar per month you can get started with GoDaddy's website builder plan and choose from hundreds of theme options to start designing the site of your dreams. See it as a free website builder with hosting that costs a dollar per month, or a dollar per month spent on a site builder with the hosting included for free — either way it's a pretty sweet deal.

With JustHost, their website building options are included in their shared hosting. While not as robust as a Weebly-based drag-and-drop system, they include 400 templates, which should satisfy even the... read more +

With JustHost, their website building options are included in their shared hosting. While not as robust as a Weebly-based drag-and-drop system, they include 400 templates, which should satisfy even the pickiest of users.

In addition to the site builder, you get all of the perks of their shared hosting plans, such as a free domain, unlimited email accounts, unlimited file transfers, eCommerce shopping carts, and cPanel, which is very nice. For business users, the included 200 dollars in advertising credits will help get your new site welcomed exposure.

Aimed at the first-time user, JustHost is very intuitive to use. Bundling a free domain and their instant provisioning, they get you up and running and building your site in just minutes, without having to wait for the server to be configured for you.

Finally, JustHost offers fantastic 24/7 customer support that is very well known in the industry. They will help you keep your site running if there are issues, but they are not proficient with their website builders.

GoDaddy vs. JustHost - Our Conclusion

There you have it: GoDaddy champions domain names and email hosting, among other services, but the JustHost team has proven themselves committed to providing quality service for novice customers. With a range of plans and contract lengths to choose from, both of these hosters come with a breadth of options for first-time site owners.

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Other JustHost Comparisons

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